


thirdwheelers

by ItzJemStone



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Bokuto Koutarou & Kuroo Tetsurou are Bros, Bokuto is awkward, First Date, Genderfluid Kozume Kenma, How Do I Tag, I Tried, Laser Tag, Love at First Sight, M/M, Third Wheels, akaashi ends up making all the moves, akaashi is good at arcade games, arcade date, bokuto is sick of being a third wheel, kind of a blind date, kuroo is kind of a wingman, sorry for the terrible writing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-30
Updated: 2020-10-16
Packaged: 2021-03-08 02:55:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,019
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26518585
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ItzJemStone/pseuds/ItzJemStone
Summary: Bokuto is sick of being a third wheel and Kuroo is a (great?) wingman.OR: Bokuto falls in love, Kuroo helps him get a date, and Akaashi does the rest.
Relationships: Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou, Kozume Kenma/Kuroo Tetsurou
Comments: 6
Kudos: 80





	1. That One Time Being A Third Wheel Was Beneficial

**Author's Note:**

> Hello and welcome back to another fic.  
> No, I have no idea what I'm doing. I'm supposed to be doing homework, but homework is lame so I’m writing this instead.  
> Enjoy :D

“Kou! Wanna go to the new cafe downtown?”

“Lemme guess, Kenma’s coming?”

Kuroo groaned. “Dude, come on, please.”

Bokuto glared at him. “Dude. I’m sick of third wheeling. I do not want to go.”

“Please, Kou? Just this once.”

“You say that everytime! And I always end up going home by myself because you go over to Kenma’s to do _stuff!_ Why do you even need me there?” 

Kuroo dramatically draped himself across the couch. “I need support. I’m still new to this dating thing and if I screw it up and Kenma ditches me I want you to be able to cheer me up right after.”

Bokuto gave him a look of irritation. “Tets, you’ve literally known them since you guys have been like, seven. If Kenma’s put up with you for all those years, I don’t think they’re going to dump you out of the blue. Unless you’re cheating on them. Are you cheating on them?”

Kuroo gave him a look of utter disbelief. “Absolutely not.”

Bokuto shrugged, kicking Kuroo’s feet away so he could sit down on the couch. “You’ll be fine then. Probably.”

“Probably?!” Kuroo cried. “So it’s still possible?”

“Bro, get a hold on yourself. Look, I’m not the person you should be asking. I’ve never been on a second date with someone, do I look like I know what I’m doing when it comes to relationships?”

Kuroo moaned. “You’re right,” He said, drawing out the ‘i’. “You’re not the person I should be asking. But who else am I supposed to ask? Daichi?”

Bokuto snorted at that. “Dude, Daichi’s like the densest person I’ve ever met. He’s probably worse than me. His advice would probably be something basic you can find on the internet.”

“Exactly,” Kuroo sighed. “Anyways, you’ll come to the cafe with us right?”

Bokuto groaned. “You’re not going to take no for an answer, are you?”

Kuroo gave him a wicked grin. “Nope.”

* * *

“Kenma! Hey, Kitten! Pronouns?”

“He him,” Kenma muttered. “And stop calling me Kitten.”

“You know you love it,” Kuroo chuckled. “Hey! Kou, over here!”

Bokuto made his way over, glowering. “Oh, yes. Another day of third wheeling. I’m so excited. I’m going to have the best day of my life today.”

Kuroo whacked him. “Oh, come on, don’t be sarcastic!”

“Kuro, you’re going to bust his arm off. Don’t hit him so hard.”

Bokuto just glowered some more. “This isn’t sarcasm. Not at all. I’m being very genuine right now.”

Kenma gave him a look of sympathy. “Did he drag you here again?”

“Yeah,” Bokuto grumbled. “I wanted to stay home and watch Mean Girls.” 

“Anyways!” Kuroo declared loudly before Kenma could tell Bokuto that he could go home if he wanted. “I hear this chain of cafes is actually well known at it’s other locations. I have high expectations, y’know?”

Neither Kenma or Bokuto said anything. Kuroo laughed nervously. 

“Okay then! Let’s go!”

* * *

“Hey, this stuff is pretty good!” Bokuto exclaimed, having gotten over his gloomy mood. He continued stuffing his face with the pastries they’d gotten.

“Are you glad you came along now?”

Kenma gave Kuroo a reprimanding look. Kuroo pointedly ignored him.

Bokuto shrugged, taking a sip of his smoothie. “I guess it’s bearable. It’s not like you guys have been making out the whole time, so today’s very okay.”

Kenma went pink, busying himself with his PSP. 

“I’m still annoyed that I’m third wheeling though. Man, why can’t I find someone who’ll date…?” Bokuto trailed off, mouth open and smoothie straw halfway to his mouth. Kuroo looked up from his food, confused by the abrupt cutoff. “Kou? Hello? Earth to Kou?”

Bokuto closed his mouth, opened it, then closed it again. He then pointed at a group who’d just entered the cafe. Kuroo turned to look at them.

Two of them were ahead of the third, the carmel brown haired boy clinging onto the dark brown haired boy. The one lagging behind them looked like he didn’t want to be there, his black hair messy and his eyes tired. 

“He’s so pretty,” Bokuto said, the smoothie in his hand forgotten. “Do you think he’d go out with me?”

Kuroo looked at Bokuto, then looked at the trio now ordering, then looked at Kenma, then looked at Bokuto again. 

“Well, it depends which one you’re talking about. Cause it looks like two of them are dating or something.”

“The one with the pretty eyes,” Bokuto said, still staring at the group. “The one behind the other two. The pretty one.”

Kuroo looked at the group again, then looked at Kenma. Kenma shrugged. 

“Well, he looks pretty single, so go ask him for his number or something.”

“Oh, man,” Bokuto moaned, finally looking away and burying his face in his hands. “He’s literally the prettiest person I’ve ever seen. He’s prettier than Daichi’s boyfriend. And Daichi’s boyfriend is really pretty. What if he’s straight? Or maybe he already has a partner. He probably already has one. Look how pretty he is! How can he not have a girlfriend or boyfriend already? Oh, man, I’m so screwed. Kuroo, help me. What do I do?”

Kuroo just laughed as he stood up, passive-aggressively patting Bokuto’s shoulder. “No worries. I got your back, bro.”

Bokuto looked up. “Kuroo, what are you doing? Oh, no, are you going to go ask him for his number or something? Oh, no, Tets, don’t do that. Oh my god, no, don’t go, Tets, I’m begging you. There’s no way he’s single or gay, let alone both. No, Kuroo, please.”

Kuroo shook off Bokuto’s grip. “Don’t worry! I promise I’ll land you a date.”

Bokuto groaned, slumping down into his seat and looking like he wanted to disappear. He was utterly screwed. 

Kenma offered him a look of sympathy.

Bokuto watched dreadfully as Kuroo made his way over to where the trio had sat down, grinning cockily. There was no way. Bokuto hated him. Best bro’s were supposed to support you, not embarrass you to death. He briefly wondered if Kenma would be willing to become his new best bro. Or maybe Daichi. Daichi would be cool too. 

Kuroo’s signature laugh cut through the peaceful hum of the cafe, successfully pulling Bokuto’s attention back to him and the trio. 

The light brown haired boy was still clinging to the other boy, but he was laughing at whatever Kuroo had said. The one Bokuto was interested in was sitting across from the duo, looking flabbergasted. Kuroo said something and pointed to where they were sitting, causing the trio to glance over. Kuroo glanced over as well, giving Bokuto a huge grin. 

Bokuto discreetly flipped him off. Kenma just sighed, like he was disappointed in his boyfriend.

It took another five minutes before Kuroo came strutting back, grinning widely and handing Bokuto a napkin with a series of hastily scrawled numbers written on it. “Kou, my man,” he started, plopping down next to Kenma. “You now have a date this Saturday at five at the Crows Fly Arcade. How do you feel?”

Bokuto stared at the phone number scribbled on the napkin. 

“No way.” 

Kuroo’s grin grew wider. “Yes way.”


	2. Akaashi Is Good At Arcade Games

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yes, I know what Hinata does isn't logical at all. don't mind me and my fic logic  
> also not thoroughly edited. sorry in advance for the crappy writing haha  
> enjoy ^^

“Kuro.”

“Hmm?” Kuroo hummed, studying his reflection in the mirror. 

“Bokuto’s going into his dejected mood,” Kenma muttered. 

Bokuto grumbled at that. Kuroo glanced at him. 

“Dude, you’ll be fine,” Kuroo said, giving his hair one last touch up. “Akaashi seemed like the picky type, so I think it’s pretty safe to say you stand a chance.”

Bokuto just groaned. “What if he’s doing it to be nice? Oh, I’m going to screw this up so bad. What if I end up dropping everything and make a mess? What if he finds me annoying? What if I don’t meet his requirements and-”

“Bo,” Kuroo said, grabbing his shoulders firmly. “Stop. You’ll do fine. And if he doesn’t like you, then that’s that. He’d be missing out, it’d be his loss. You are going to do great. You are going to get yourself a second date with him. You’ll be fine. I believe in you, yeah?”

“Really?”

“Hell yeah. Come on, let’s go. We don’t wanna be late, do we?"

“No,” Bokuto said, standing up and stretching. “I guess not.”

Kuroo grinned. “Let’s do this?”

Bokuto grinned back. “Let’s do this.”

Kenma sighed. “Now I feel like the third wheel.”

“Aww, Kitten! Don’t worry, I would never leave you. You’re adorable and I love you, you know that?”

“Get off of me,” Kenma grumbled, half-heartedly pushing Kuroo away. “...Love you too,” she added after a moment. 

“Aww, Kenma!” Kuroo exclaimed, drawing out the ‘a’.

“Nevermind, I take it back. I hate you.”

Kuroo pouted.

* * *

Bokuto nervously bit his nails. 

Kuroo smacked his back. “Dude, calm down. You’re going to be fine.”

“What if I mess up though?”

“Koutarou. You’ll be fine. You’ll be fine, okay? I doubt anything could go terribly wrong. If you do mess up and he never wants to see you again, then that’s just life.”  
Bokuto glared at him. “That’s not reassuring at all. Are you trying to make me more nervous or something?”

“Just ignore him,” Kenma murmured. “I think you’ll be fine.”

Bokuto sighed. “Okay, I guess if Kenma thinks so, I’ll be alright.”

“What?!” Kuroo protested, gasping dramatically. “You’re taking my Kitten’s word over your best bro’s? I’m hurt, Bo, I’m really hurt.”

Bokuto just glared at him.

“Um, am I interrupting something?”

Bokuto whipped around, startled. There stood the Akaashi, looking somewhat awkward. He was dressed in dark pants paired with a white shirt and baby blue denim jacket. 

“Oh, no, not at all!” Bokuto sputtered, trying to force his growing blush down. “Hi, Akaashi!”

“Hello, Bokuto-san,” Akaashi responded, nodding at Kuroo and Kenma. 

“Yup! Hi!” Bokuto said a bit too loudly. He mentally kicked himself. “Um, I already said that.”

“Smooth,” Kuroo whispered, snickering. Bokuto noticed Kenma kick him. 

“So, Akaashi,” Bokuto said, ignoring Kuroo and trying to start a decent conversation. “How’ve you been doing?”

“I’ve been doing well,” Akaashi replied smoothly. Oh, god, his voice was so nice. Bokuto was definitely screwed. “How about you, Bokuto-san?”

Bokuto briefly wondered how his first name would sound coming out of Akaashi’s mouth. Then he realized that Akaashi was waiting for an answer. 

“Pretty good!” He exclaimed, again too loudly. Kuroo snickered again. 

Akaashi hummed. “Shall we go in then?”

Bokuto just nodded enthusiastically, not trusting his voice. 

The inside of the arcade was dim, the occasional neon light blinding them. Kuroo went and got tokens for them, his pockets stuffed when he returned. 

“Alright!” Kuroo exclaimed, handing Bokuto half of the tokens. “Kenma and I are off to have a Pac Man competition. Chibi-chan starts his laser tag shift around five thirty, so how about we meet at the food court place around five twenty, yeah?”

Bokuto nodded. Akaashi muttered “Chibi-chan?” under his breath in a confused tone. 

“His name’s Hinata!” Bokuto explained as Kuroo and Kenma walked off. “We used to play volleyball together. He’s super short and full of energy and super awesome!”

“Ah,” Akaashi nodded thoughtfully. “So kind of like you.”

“You think I’m awesome?!”

“Not exactly,” Akaashi said. “I find you interesting.”

Bokuto frowned, trying to determine if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

Akaashi must’ve been psychic or something because he just gave Bokuto that small smile of his and said, “It’s not a bad thing, I promise. Let’s go play some games.”

That successfully shifted Bokuto’s focus. “Yeah! Let’s go! I’m going to win at everything we play, Akaashi! Just watch!”

* * *

Bokuto lost at everything. 

Akaashi was really good at arcade games. Like, annoyingly good. Maybe even good enough to possibly beat Kenma in a competition, and Kenma was unbeatable when it came to games. 

Currently, Bokuto was watching as Akaashi attempted to get a stuffed alien from the claw machine, saying he needed a birthday gift for one of his friends and that the alien would be the perfect gift. 

Bokuto wasn’t complaining. Akaashi looked absolutely adorable, eyes hyper focused on the toy and ever-so-slightly nibbling at his bottom lip.

He was so focused on Akaashi that he didn’t notice the toy successfully drop into the prize box (was that what it was called? Bokuto wasn’t sure.) until Akaashi punched the air and exclaimed “YES!” in the loudest voice Bokuto had ever heard him use. 

(To be fair, Bokuto had only texted him for maybe two hours tops and had only actually been talking to him in person since today and therefore hadn’t heard Akaashi talk very much, but it was the thought that counted.)

“Aaagaaahsshiii!” Bokuto whined. “You’re so good at this!”

“Thank you, Bokuto-san,” Akaashi replied, bending down to retrieve the plush. “Shall we get going then? I believe it’s nearly five twenty.”

“OH!” Bokuto exclaimed loudly. “It is! Yeah, let’s go! I’m going to beat you at laser tag, just you wait!”

Akaashi offered Bokuto a tiny smile. “We’ll see, Bokuto-san.”

“Kaaaaaaashiiii!” Bokuto whined. “Come on, give me some credit! I’m not that bad, right? Hey! Aagaashee! Wait for me!”

* * *

“So I see you’ve made it out alive.” Kuroo smirked at them, Kenma not-so-softly kicking him. 

“Stop kicking me, Kenma, come on.”

“Stop saying stupid things then.”

The two half-heartedly glared at each other, probably having some sort of silent conversation. Akaashi stood a little ways off, fiddling with his fingers. 

“Oh, fine,” Kuroo finally said, sighing in defeat. Kenma’s face morphed into an expression of satisfaction, her eyes sparkling a little. 

“Can we go now?” Bokuto asked, completely used to his two friends’ antics. “Hinata should have started his shift by now.”

“Oh, yeah,” Kuroo said, like he’d completely forgotten the reason they were there in the first place. “Let’s go. I bet Chibi-chan will be surprised! He has no idea we’re coming. Do you think we can get in for free again?”

“Only if his boyfriend isn’t with him. He’s like, the only reason why we have a hard time getting free entrance from Hinata,” Bokuto said. Akaashi’s small, questioning “Again?” went unheard.

The four walked through the arcade, stopping once to grab some food from the snack bar. 

When they got to the back of the arcade, Bokuto and Kuroo had managed to finish off three candy bags, a soft pretzel, and a mini pizza. The person at the laser tag counter had their back turned on them, their orange hair poking out from under the staff hat. 

“Chibi-chan! What’s up?” Kuroo exclaimed loudly, leaning on the counter. “D’you think you can get us in a game of laser tag?”

Bokuto grinned when Hinata turned around, a look of surprise on his face.

“Kenma!” Hinata exclaimed, immediately noticing her. “Is it she or he? Or is it they?”

“She her,” Kenma said, brightening a little. 

“Cool! Hey, I didn’t know you guys were coming! How come you didn’t give me a heads up? Oh,” Hinata paused, noticing Akaashi. “Hi! I’m Hinata Shouyou, nice to meet you!”

“Akaashi Keiji,” Akaashi returned the greeting, looking bewildered.

Hinata nodded his head up and down in understanding. “Awesome! Okay, so, I’m assuming you guys want to be in the next available laser tag group?”

“Yup!” Bokuto exclaimed. “Can you get us in for free?”

Hinata made a face, fumbling to get a clipboard from under the counter. “Bakeyama yelled at me last time and Daichi gave me a lecture, so the most I can manage is a discount. But!” Hinata declared, looking brighter than he had mere moments ago. “I can give you guys like a seventy-five percent discount, so you guys will barely be paying anything!”

“Well, that’s better than nothing! We’ll take it. How much?” Kuroo asked, both him and Bokuto simultaneously taking out their wallets. 

“Dude, I thought I was paying,” Bokuto said, confused.

“No?” Kuroo said, equally as confused.

“But you paid for the game tokens! Let me pay for laser tag.”

“Split the bill?”

“Okay, sure.”

They both turned back to Hinata, who was already punching the price into the cash register. 

“Nine twenty-four,” He declared, smiling brightly.

“So four sixty-two split. Here.” Kuroo handed Hinata a five. “Keep the change.”

“Same here,” Bokuto said, copying Kuroo’s actions and handing Hinata a five. 

“Cool!” Hinata exclaimed, ringing them up and grabbing the wristbands needed to enter a laser tag game. “Here. You guys will be in the six o’clock group. I would stay and talk with you guys,” Hinata paused, motioning towards the small line that had formed behind them. “But I’ve got people who also want to play and I don’t want to get fired.”

Kuroo chuckled. “Alrighty then. We’ll see you around, yeah?”

“Heck yeah!” Hinata exclaimed enthusiastically. “Kenma, text me later! I want to see if I can join one of your livestreams next week!”

Kenma nodded as the group retreated to a corner table.

“Well then,” Kuroo said, smiling widely. “Who’s ready to play some laser tag?”


	3. Dinner Date?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> haha this chapter is kinda short  
> the second part of this chapter just wasn't ending so i cut it off entirely because term 1 is ending and i have a buttload of work to do and theres no way im going to get the rest of the chapter done this week so  
> yeet  
> the next chapter will be longer, promise!  
> Enjoy!

Like every other game at the arcade, Akaashi was good at laser tag.

The game contained twenty people total, everyone free to play solo or team up with friends. The game room itself was actually decently sized, the two floors scattered thoroughly with soft barriers.

When they were let into the room after all the rules had been explained, Akaashi immediately grabbed Bokuto’s wrist and dragged him up to the second floor. 

“Wow- Akashi! What are we doing?”

“Let’s team, Bokuto-san,” Akaashi said, looking super serious and pretty and Bokuto briefly thought yeah, he might be in love.

“Yeah, okay,” Bokuto responded, dazed. 

The countdown in the back rang out, signifying that it’d reached zero and their guns were now activated. Akaashi flashed Bokuto a small smile. “I hope you’re good at this,” Was all he offered before zipping away. Bokuto stumbled as he scrambled to keep up with Akaashi, who was much faster than Bokuto had anticipated. 

Together, they ran around for a few minutes, shooting at several people. Bokuto could’ve sworn Akaashi was using him as a shield, but he was too busy avoiding lasers to know for sure. They passed Kuroo and Kenma a few times, almost running head first into them at one point. 

About halfway through the game, Akaashi pulled Bokuto into a secluded corner to catch their breath.

“You’re really good, Akaashi,” Bokuto said between huge inhales. “Did you play when you were younger or something?”

“No,” Akaashi responded, also inhaling deeply. “Actually, this is the second time I’ve ever played laser tag. The first time was when I was a second year in high school.”

“What!” Bokuto exclaimed. “No way! You’re like, so good though! Surely you’ve played something similar. Maybe paintball?” 

Akaashi shook his head. “I don’t go out much,” he explained shyly at Bokuto’s shell-shocked face. “I prefer staying inside and reading or writing.”

“You’re super fit though?”

“I still go to the gym, Bokuto-san.”

“Oh.” Bokuto wondered if it was appropriate to ask how often he got hit on. 

“Yes, Bokuto-san. Come on, let's go this way.” 

And so Bokuto allowed himself to be dragged away by Akaashi once again.

* * *

“Not gonna lie, you’re really good, Akaashi,” Kuroo said, looking at the final scores. Unsurprisingly, Kenma had placed second, only a few points behind first. Akaashi had placed fourth, Kuroo in seventh, and Bokuto in eleventh. 

“Thank you, Kuroo-san,” Akaashi hummed, craning his neck to look at the scores himself. Bokuto was grumbling about his score, annoyed that he hadn’t placed in the top ten.

“To be fair,” Akaashi offered, moving to stand beside Bokuto. “I did kind of use you as a shield.”

“I knew you were doing something like that!” Bokuto exclaimed, groaning in disappointment. “Akashee, I thought you would be better than that!”

“I like you,” Kuroo said, laughing at Bokuto’s distress. “Keep bullying him. He’s an over energetic owl who needs shutting up from time to time.”

“Thank you,” Akaashi said again. “But I will only poke at Bokuto-san’s pride when I believe it is necessary.”

“Is that supposed to be a nice thing or-?”

“I promise it’s not a bad thing, Bokuto-san,” Akaashi said, shrugging off Bokuto’s questioning look. “Now, what’s the plan now? I don’t think I was informed about anything happening past laser tag.” 

“Well, we were kind of planning on winging it afterwards. We could go to a restaurant and get dinner together, or we can split off and you two can figure out what you want to do by yourselves,” Kuroo said. 

“I’m tired,” Kenma said. 

“I guess we’re splitting off,” Kuroo chuckled. “That’s okay, right?”

Akaashi and Bokuto nodded in unison. 

“Alright then! You two have fun! Stay safe!”

“Take care, Kuroo-san, Kenma-san,” Akaashi said.

“Use protection!” Bokuto yelled after them.

Kuroo gave him the finger over his shoulder. 

Akaashi shook his head in amusement. “So, Bokuto-san.”

“Yeah?”

“Would you like to grab dinner? I know a good place around here.”

“Oh, yeah! Sure! Come on, my car’s parked over there.”

Bokuto excitedly led Akaashi over to his worn down jeep, unlocking it. “Hop in!”

They both made themselves comfortable, Bokuto starting the engine with a twist of his keys. “So, where to?” he asked. 

Akaashi seemed to be having an internal debate. “You wouldn’t mind meeting one of my friends, would you?”

Bokuto blinked. “Wait, seriously?” He grinned at Akaashi’s small nod. “Nope, not at all! You met Hinata so it’s only fair, right?”

Akaashi hid a grin behind his hand. “I suppose. Do you know where the Aoba Johsai diner is?”

“Yeah, maybe,” Bokuto said, putting the car in reverse so he could back out. “It’s near the Fukurodani News business building right? With the teal coloring?”

“It is,” Akaashi confirmed. 

“Great! I know where that is. Let’s go!”

Akaashi just continued to hide his smile, eyes glittering.


	4. Date Successful!!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry its late! Enjoy!  
> also, I know nothing about the different kinds of pastas

The second Bokuto and Akaashi walked through the doors of the Aoba Johsai diner, a waiter immediately came by, all smiles and charm. Bokuto thought he looked vaguely familiar. 

“Good evening! Welcome to- Aka-chan! I thought you were on a date!”

Akaashi just looked at the waiter with his oh-really-now look.

“Why are you- oh!” He seemed to have noticed Bokuto. “You! You’re the one who wanted Aka-chan’s number!” The waiter’s eyebrows furrowed. “Wait. If you’re here… Oh, _oh!_ Aka-chan!” he turned back to Akaashi. “You’re still on your date! Ah, silly me! Here, come this way, I’ll give you a more private area.”

“Oikawa,” Akaashi said, shaking his head a little. “This is Bokuto-san. Bokuto-san, this is my friend Oikawa. You might remember him from the cafe.”

“Oh, yeah!” Bokuto exclaimed, memories flooding back. “You’re the one who was clinging to the other boy the whole time! Can I ask if you guys are dating?”

Oikawa didn’t seem even the slightest bit embarrassed. “Oh, Iwa-chan? Yeah, we’re dating! He’s kind of mean to me but he also buys me ice cream when I ask and plans really awesome dates and he’s just awesome. Actually, he swings by the diner occasionally, so you might get to properly meet him. Who knows? Anyways, here you guys are. Here’s the menu. Enjoy yourselves!”

“Thanks!” Bokuto said eagerly as Akaashi took off his jacket and slid into the booth. Bokuto sat down on the other side.

“Your friend is pretty cool!” Bokuto said, opening the menu and earnestly reading through the choices. 

“Thank you,” Akaashi said, mirroring Bokuto and opening his menu. “The pasta here is very good, I recommend trying it. Avoid the baked spaghetti though; I learned the hard way it’s not their best dish.”

“Try the pasta, avoid the baked spaghetti. Got it!”

Bokuto ended up ordering an egg and bacon carbonara and spent seven minutes deciding what to drink (he settled on a coke) whereas Akaashi ordered a shrimp fettuccine alfredo with just water. 

“Here you guys are! Enjoy!”

“Thanks, Oikawa!” Bokuto exclaimed, rubbing his hands together. “Ooh, this looks good!”

Akaashi, surprisingly, was already stuffing his face. He was doing it in a remarkably neat way, skillfully avoiding getting sauce on his face. He paused momentarily, downed a third of his water, then continued eating. 

“Wow, Akaashi! Slow down!” Bokuto said inbetween mouthfuls of carbonara. “You’re gonna choke on the pasta or something!”

Akaashi gave him semi-piercing look, but slowed down considerably. 

“So, do you have a job? Are you still in school? Wait, you _are_ legally an adult, right? I’m not doing something illegal right now, right?”

Akaashi made a weird noise, choking on his food. It sounded like a cross between a snort and a laugh. Bokuto wasn’t sure though; afterall, Akaashi did still have food in his mouth.

“I’m twenty-one, Bokuto-san,” Akaashi answered after swallowing his food and some water. “I assure you, this is perfectly legal. I’m in collage at the moment and interning at Fukurodani News. I have a lot of homework these days, but I’m managing pretty well.” Akaashi took another sip of his water. “How about you, Bokuto-san?”

“Oh, I’m still in school too!” Bokuto said all too happily. “I got in on a volleyball scholarship though, so my grades aren’t the best.”

“You’re not failing anything, right, Bokuto-san?”

“Nope! I have a D in my math class though. Man, why’d they make math so _hard?_ ”

Akaashi sipped his water. “I see. What position do you play in volleyball?”

Bokuto brightened. He loved talking about volleyball. “I play wing spiker! It’s so satisfying to blow past blockers and score tons of points, y’know? It’s like WHOOSH and BAM and the faces the other team makes when I get around their blocks is the _best._ Hey, do you play sports?”

“I used to play as a setter in high school,” Akaashi offered. “Volleyball is quite enjoyable.”

Bokuto gasped. “You used to play volleyball?!”

Akaashi nodded.

They spent the rest of the dinner discussing their volleyball experiences.

* * *

“Come again! Aka-chan, text me, okay? I want all the details! Enjoy your night!”

Akaashi just rolled his eyes as Bokuto waved goodbye. 

“So, where’s your house?” Bokuto asked as they slid into his car, realizing that Akaashi was struggling with the seatbelt when he glanced over. 

“Oh,” Bokuto said, undoing his own belt to lean over and help Akaashi. “Sorry, I forgot that the belts in this car are kinda stubborn from time to time. Here, just pull at this angle with a bit of forc- GAH!”

 _Well,_ Bokuto’s brain immediately supplied. _This is kind of awkward._

During Bokuto’s attempt to dislodge the seatbelt, he’d managed to place himself in a position that put his face fifteen centimeters away from Akaashi’s, his right hand brushing against Akaashi’s left thigh, and right hand (that was still holding the seatbelt) pressed against the car window. Akaashi’s cheeks were slowly growing pink, long eyelashes fluttering as he glanced up and down Bokuto’s face. 

“Ah, crap, sorry,” Bokuto managed. “Uh. I think I got the seatbelt?”

_Kiss him, you idiot, his brain said._

_No! It’s too early for that. I might scare him away,_ he argued back. 

_Kiss. Him._

_No._

_Just do it!_

_N-_

Bokuto didn’t get a chance to finish his argument with himself because Akaashi leaned in and closed the distance himself, pressing their lips together. Bokuto felt his eyes widen in surprise. 

Akaashi pulled away before Bokuto even managed to process what happened. 

“Akaaashiii?!” Bokuto said, his voice rising higher and higher. 

Cheeks flushed a deep red, Akaashi averted his gaze. He didn’t say anything. 

“Akashi,” Bokuto repeated, voice shaky. “Aghashi? Uh. Akaashi?”

“Sorry,” Akaashi said in a small voice. 

“NO!” Bokuto yelled. Akaashi flinched a little, looking up. Bokuto lowered his voice. “No. Um. That was, uh, nice. Uh. Can we… do it again? Or is it too soon? I mean, it’s completely okay if you don’t want to do it again! I get it! Totally understand! I’d respect your boundaries! But uh, like, that was really nice? So I really, _really_ wouldn’t mind doing it again? Uh-”

Akaashi leaned in and kissed him again. This time though, Bokuto kissed back. 

They pulled apart rather quickly. A silence fell over them, Bokuto inches away from Akaashi, staring at his face and pretty features. 

“Well,” Akaashi finally said in a small voice. “My apartment isn’t too far from here. Would you rather I pull up a map or would you be fine with me directing you?”

Bokuto backed up a few inches. “Oh. Uh, directing is fine.”

Akaashi’s face was still flushed. “Alright. Well, you want to get on the main street first.”

Bokuto started the engine. “Okay. Lets go!”

* * *

“And turn left there. No, not here, Bokuto-san, the _next_ entrance.”

Bokuto parked the jeep in a empty lot, not bothering to turn off the engine. “So, uh, here you are!”

Akaashi didn’t move or say anything for a solid minute. Then-

“Thank you,” Akaashi mumbled. “I had a good time.”

“I’m glad!” Bokuto exclaimed, nervous. This was where he always got denied a second date, and they always started by saying something nice. He doubted Akaashi would turn him down after they’d kissed, _twice,_ but he could never be a hundered percent positive about that. “I was, uh, really scared I’d screw it up. So I’m glad you enjoyed yourself!”

Akaashi smiled the pretty little smile of his. “I’m usually free on the weekends and Tuesday nights if you’d like to go on another date,” he said.

Bokuto blinked, processing the words. “Wait, really?! I’d love to! Awesome! I’ll take a look at my schedule and see what I can do!” Bokuto smiled brightly. “I’m really, _really_ glad you had a good time!”

“Thank you for the excellent date,” Akaashi said, opening the car door. “I trust you’ll text me the details for the next date?”

“Yup!”

“Have a great night then, Bokuto-san. Sleep well.”

“You too! Sleep tight!” Bokuto called after him, rolling down the windows to do so. 

As soon as Akaashi was out of sight, Bokuto dailed Kuroo.

“Sup?”

“Bro,” Bokuto said, barely able to contain his excitement. “I did it!”

“You got a second date?”

“I got a second date!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> akdlsls that was so badly done haha  
> thanks for reading!


End file.
